Almond Puff

This Betty Crocker recipe has been around for a long time and maybe everyone already has it, but I thought I’d post it because it’s been tested and tried many times over. (almost Mennonite by now) The first time I had this Danish pastry was at my bridal shower and I still like making it for showers. People have asked what kind of a filling it has and are always surprised that it has none and that, if fact, the pastry has no sugar in it.

Ingredients:
1/2 c margarine or butter, room temp
1 c flour
2 Tbsp water
½ cup margarine or butter
1 cup water
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup flour
3 eggs

Cut 1/2 c butter into 1 cup flour. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp water over mixture and stir with fork. Round into a ball and divide in half. On ungreased cookie sheet, pat each half into a strip, 12 x 2 1/2 inches, about 3 inches apart.
In small pot, heat 1/2 c butter and 1 c water to rolling boil. Remove from heat and quickly stir in almond extract and 1 c flour. Stir vigorously over low heat until mixture forms a ball.
Remove from heat. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until smooth. Drop by Tbsp on top of strips and then spread evenly, using a wet knife, to cover strips completely

Bake at 350F for 60 min. When you take them out of the oven they will look like funny shaped , flopped French bread. Cool completely.
Frost and sprinkle with toasted, crushed almonds

Frosting: Mix 1 1/2 c icing sugar, (confectioners sugar) 2 Tbsp soft margarine, 1 tsp almond extract and 1 – 2 Tbsp warm water until smooth.

Chicken or Turkey Stock and Soup

If you are like me after the Christmas turkey dinner, or after a roasted chicken dinner, I slice up the meat for hot turkey sandwiches or other tasty meals, but I always put the carcass along with the bones, neck, liver and kidney in a freezer bag for soup. The 'parts' give the stock a depth in flavor that you will miss if you don't add them. This recipe is for a very large chicken or turkey carcass.

STOCK

1 chicken or turkey carcass

14-16 cups water

2 tsp salt

4 pepper corns

2 peeled whole garlic cloves

1 washed unpeeled onion

2 scrubbed unpeeled carrots

1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped up slightly

2 chicken bullion

Using a large roasting pan spread out thawed carcuss along with parts and roast for 1 hour at 45oº. This is very important if you want a flavorful stock. While this is roasting fill a large soup pot with water and add the remaining ingredients. Leave the skin and peels on the vegetables and chop them into large pieces. Leaving the skins on also adds depth to the flavor. Add the roasted carcass to the pot and bring to a boil. Turn down, cover and simmer for 3-5 hours.

Using a large colinder, strain the stock into another pot. If you have allot of meat in the stock that was still on the bones pull it off and add it to your soup. Discard everything else.

I use this stock to make chicken or turkey noodle soup, or freeze it in smaller containers to add to casseroles and other recipes that call for poultry stock.

If you are going to make soup with the stock, boil noodles and pour the hot stock over them.

For a 'fuller' soup you can add other finely chopped vegetables such as carrots, celery, and fresh parsley. Add to the stock, bring to a boil and simmer until vegetables are tender. Then add cooked noodles, or use cooked brown or white rice in place of the noodles.

Raspberry Slice

With a weekend of social events behind me...and being responsible for desserts for two of those functions...I made enough raspberry slice to feed the multitudes. My version of this recipe comes from a local cookbook called "From our Kitchen...to Yours" a collection of favorite recipes from the kitchens of three sisters and their mom. As always, I have taken a few liberties with the original...and changed things up a bit.

Raspberry Slice

Base:

• 1 1/4 cups graham wafer crumbs
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Filling:

• 8 0z. (250 grams) cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 cup icing sugar
• pinch of salt

Raspberry Layer:

• 1 small package raspberry Jello (85 gr)
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 3 cups frozen raspberries (425 gr)

• 1 (or more) cup whipping cream, whipped

Mix base ingredients together and press into a 9 x 13" pan. Save a scant 1/4 cup of crumbs to sprinkle on top. Set base in fridge (or freezer) and chill for 1/2 hour.

Beat the filling until soft and fluffy and spread over base.

Dissolve 1 pkg. raspberry Jello in 1 cup boiling water...add 1 Tbsp. lemon juice (optional). Fold in 1 package of frozen whole raspberries (or about three cups). Stir until berries are thawed and Jello is partly set.

Spread over cream mixture. Put in fridge and allow to set completely.

Whip cream (I use more than the 1 cup called for)...add sugar and vanilla to taste. Spread over well-set berries...and sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Store in fridge until ready to serve.

The berries are festive...and add the taste of summer at the same time. Enjoy!

Lemon Coconut 'n Honey Cake

I checked to see if there had been a lemon cake posted yet...and sure enough there had been...by me (well, with the help of Betty's recipe.). Grin....oh well. With the start of the New Year I, as many many others I am sure, have been revisiting my more 'low cal' or heart healthy recipes and I have gone back into my 'vegetarian years' stash. I had nearly forgotten this recipe. I know Betty won't mind me posting another lemon cake as she loves lemon AND coconut....both of which are prevalent in this easy, yummy and slightly healthy version of a lemon cake.

(I'm not sure where I got this recipe but as I will share over the next while...there were a group of us friends who, in the late 70's, baked and cooked and shared recipes and we all ended up with those cute little recipe cards I still have today.)

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1 cup fine sugar (NOT icing sugar....berry sugar. You can use regular sugar but it is not so delicate a texture if you do. This cake tends to be heavy with the other ingredients as it is. However, as it calls for fine sugar this is an excellent recipe to replace the sugar with Splenda - measure for measure.)
• 3 eggs separated
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1/4 cup ground almonds
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 1/2 cups self rising flour
• (or make your own as I do - see tip below)
• 1 cup plain, low fat, organic yogurt

Honey Syrup

• 1 medium lemon
• 1 cup honey

Grease an 8 inch fluted tube pan. Cream the butter, zest and sugar in a small bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time. Transfer the mixture into a large bowl and stir in the coconut, ground almonds and juice. Then add the sifted flour and yogurt.

Beat the egg whites in a small bowl until soft peaks form....fold them into the cake mixture. Pour it all int the prepared pan and bake in 350F oven for about an hour or until firm. Spoon the hot syrup over the the hot cake while still in the pan. Cool in the pan before turning over on serving plate.

Honey Syrup:

Squeeze enough lemons to make 1/4 cup lemon juice or use bottled juice. Combine the juice with the honey and some lemon zest in a saucepan. Heat to almost a boil stirring well. Pour over the hot cake just taken out of the oven.

TIP: What is Self-rising flour?

Self-rising flour is all-purpose flour with added salt and leavening (baking powder). You will notice that recipes that call for self-rising flour do not call for baking powder. Make your own self-rising flour

For 1 cup self-rising flour use:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• a pinch of salt.

Roast Chicken

I know that there are alot of good roast chicken recipes out there, but my son is a real foodie and told me that we need to pizzaz up this very plain dish........so I have to credit him with the recipe, and he would have to credit the t.v. show Tyler's Ultimate. It is not exactly the same recipe but I think it is inspired from that.
He loves medditaranean flavours so we combinded a variety of spices and lemon, onion and garlic and voila..........
1 roast chicken
season the inside and out well with salt, pepper, oregano and thyme
stuff the cavity with a
small onion, cut in half
1 head of garlic, with the top cut off
1 lemon, cut in half (I used an orange once too when we had no lemons, it was very good)
lay bacon strips on top
Bake in an open roaster at a 425 for for 20-25 minutes until bacon is crisp (save for a salad)
Cover the roast and bake at 375 for 1-1/2 hours.
Serve with Roasted Potatoes or make a very tasty gravy with the pan drippings and serve with Mashed Potatoes. DELISH!
*Enjoy*

Texas Caviar..no fish

• Got this recipe from my friend Pearl who in turn got it from a friend holidaying in Texas. She says it is so good that you can eat it by spoonfuls. I agree!
  
  Texas Caviar
  
  1/2 cup sweet red pepper, coarsely chopped
  1/2 cup sweet green pepper, coarsely chopped
  1/2 cup chopped onion, finely chopped
  1/2 cup celery, finely chopped, I use 1 cup and omit onions
  1 540 ml (19 oz) can chick peas or black eyed peas, drained
  1 540 ml can black beans or kidney beans, drained
  1 341 ml (12 oz) can niblet corn, not drained
  
  Dressing:
  1/2 cup sugar, I have used slightly less with good results
  1/2 cup vinegar
  1/2 cup olive oil
  1 tsp cayenne pepper, more if you like a lot of spice
  1/2 can jalepeno peppers
  Let sit in a covered container in fridge overnight.
  Serve with multigrain tortilla chips.

A wonderful 'veggie filled' snack.

Sopa Paraguaya (corn and cheese bread)

This is a favorite served in our home along with BBQ. In spite of it being bitterly cold the men ventured out and BBqed New Years Eve and I made Sopa to serve along side of it. This recipe is the best Sopa this side of Paraguay. It is often difficult to get something to taste like it's origin but this is bang on. To top it off it is gluten free and I felt good about being able to serve this to my friend who has Celiacs and loves her bread. It is moist and gooey with cheese, a real good treat. I have modified it a bit to make it somewhat lower fat and it is still good.1-500 ml container of 1% Cottage Cheese
4 cups of low fat sharp Cheddar or a combination of your favorite kinds of cheese
1 small onion chopped fine
4 eggs
1/4 cup of oil (original recipe calls for 1/3 cup but I don't notice a difference)
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups corn flour (not corn meal)
1 cup of frozen corn (optional) I didn't add it this time.

Combine all ingredients and bake in a well greased (or sprayed) 9x13 pan.
Bake for 40-45 minutes in a 375 degree oven.
Serve warm or room temperature.

If you are a Sopa lover, you'll love this recipe. If this is new to you.........hey it is the new year, try something new.